Traced from The Art of Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.
The Pure One Emblem, also referred to as the Symbol of Bhachtyr in The Rise of a Legend, is the insignia the Pure Ones use in Legend of the Guardians: The Owl of Ga'hoole to represent themselves. The symbol consists of two crescents, one on top of the other, opening upwards, often depicted in red or white. It serves a similar purpose to the Swastika used by the Nazi Party, of which the Pure Ones are heavily based on.
Design[]
"Like so many evil organizations, the Pure Ones have strong branding. The Pure Ones' aesthetic was rooted in human history, and Lasky's original story winked at events and characters from World War II, the Greco-Persian War and even the US Civil Rights movement. Their logo had to be simple and easy for an owl to create with their bare claws or from found objects. A swipe of their two front talons created a double crescent shape - which served as a basis for the logo design. What might have started as a simple calling card carved into the bark of a raided owl hollow became an iconic shape that could be reproduced with ivory tusks, gnarled wood or painted onto a standard. A key motif of the Pure Ones was the contrast of red and white. Red is a powerful colour that was meant to imply fire, blood and aggression, and became striking when applied to the white feathers of our Tyto owls."
- Grant Freckelton, art director on Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
History[]
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole[]
The two crescent insignia is used as the signature symbol of the Pure Ones. It's emulated in tusks that cover St. Aggies, is printed on banners, and the feathers of the Pure Ones are dyed with the symbol. It can be seen on the chests of Jatt and Jutt, while a similar symbol is painted onto the chests of the Pure One soldiers. A red marking similar to the insignia can be found on Nyra's face. According to The Art of Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole, the substance used in the red and white paints are ochre and chalk.
The Rise of a Legend[]
Moss was trembling. “Wh... what...” Before he got the words out, I knew what he was going to ask. “What were those marks, those red marks on their faces?”
“Ah!” Arne sighed deeply.
“The double crescent - an ancient Krakish symbol, evoking Bhachtyr.”
“Bhachtyr?” Moss and I both said at once.
“The Sacred Force from ancient times - Bhachtyr the Destroyer. Bylyric has taken this as his symbol. Sometimes they have a strange effect. We’re used to seeing it, but the first time it’s hard. Rough on the gizzard.”
- The Rise of a Legend, page 61
Lyze sees the insignia for the first time while he, Moss, and their fathers Rask and Arne are visiting the Ice Dagger. The ice harvesters and scrapers are attacked by owls with the insignia printed on their faces in red. After defeating the Ice Talons attackers, Lyze asks about the marks, which Arne says is the symbol of Bhachtyr.
Lyze and the other cadets at the academy later use the symbols for target practice, getting used to them.
Based on their description - “a double crescent shape that talons make when tearing flesh” - they appear to be the same symbol used extensively in the movie.
Gallery[]
